Netherlands-based 3D printer manufacturer FELIXprinters announced today that they are forming a new partnership with East Gate Global, a 3D printer reseller based in Dubai. As part of the partnership agreement, East Gate Global will offer local support and distribution services for FELIXprinters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in the rest of the Middle East region. Since its release in September, FELIXprinters’ flagship desktop 3D printer the Pro 1 has quickly become the company’s most popular model in the UAE. This new partnership is FELIXprinters’ first step in an aggressive expansion into the Middle East/Gulf Cooperation Council (ME/GCC) market.

While FELIXprinters’ Pro 1 3D printer has already been a hot seller in the UAE, shipments and service were still being handled primarily through the company’s IJsselstein-based headquarters in the Netherlands. Under the agreement with East Gate Global, the Pro 1 and other FELIXprinters products will have larger local warehousing in the region, which will result in faster delivery times, lower shipping and import costs, and local support services. East Gate Global will also contribute to local promotion of the FELIXprinters Pro 1 throughout the Middle East. Sales and promotion will primarily be handled through the new, recently launched East Gate Global web portal.

“We [ME/GCC] have had a lot of interest in 3D printing hardware over the past year as more and more businesses in the region are willingly to invest in affordable professional desktop printers – instead of the overpriced printing services and commercial-quality printers that are currently available. The affordable Pro series from FELIX printers finds itself to be in the right place at the right time,” explained Majed El-Mohtadi, the Managing Director of East Gate Global on his reasons for becoming the region’s official distributor.

FELIXprinters Pro 1.

FELIXprinters’ Pro 1 and the rest of their line of desktop 3D printers are surprisingly affordable, high-quality printers with several high-end features usually reserved for professional-grade machines. The Pro 1 has easy to remove and replace dual extruders with a clever smart nozzle positioning feature to prevent part collisions and misprints. The heated print bed is easily removable to allow for easy part removal and the ability to start a new print right away, and it offers a respectable 237 x 244 x 235 mm (9.3 x 9.6 x 9.25 inch) printing envelope, as well as automatic calibration and leveling. The Pro 1 also features a smart filament sensor feature that pauses the print job when filament runs out and notifies the user to change the spool. The Pro 1 costs about $2,400, right in line with most prosumer-quality desktop 3D printers with similar features.

“Even though there’s been a number of desktop 3D printers that have been commercially available in the region for a while now, it wasn’t until the FELIX Pro 1 did we begin to see the desktop 3D printer make its way to the actual offices of architects and engineers. Not only is the Pro 1 incredibly silent, but it’s surprisingly affordable for the exceptional quality materials that can be achieved with it,” continued Majed El-Mohtadi.

Here is some video of the FELIXprinters Pro 1 in action:

In general the Middle East has been slow to adopting 3D printing technology, which is uncharacteristic for the notoriously tech-savvy region. However there has been a growing movement among local businesses to encourage companies to begin offering more 3D printing options and technology to the Middle East and lower the entry cost, and it finally seems to be paying off. Not only are more 3D printer manufacturers making efforts to begin offering their products in the region, the local governments are finally starting to encourage local businesses to adopt the technology.

Recently, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, released his official strategy for developing new 3D printing technology and building a 3D printing capital in that region of the world. The detailed strategy has been coming more and more into play recently, as we have been closely following, as Dubai in particular embraces 3D printing.

“We are very excited to have East Gate Global as our official partner to create a solid base in the UAE. We see great opportunities for our existing and soon to be released 3D related products,” said the director of FELIXprinters, Wilgo Feliksdal, who co-founded the company with his father Guillaume Feliksdal.

Now that FELIXprinters has an official presence in the ME/GCC to offer local sales, service and support for their 3D printers, upgraded parts and filaments, they expect their marketshare to expand dramatically. According to the Feliksdals, they intend to capitalize on their partnership with East Gate Global, their support network and list of eager buyers to expand deeper into the region throughout countries like Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, Iraq and Jordan by the end of the year. You can learn more about FELIXprinters line of 3D printers here, and if you’re in the Middle East you can contact East Gate Global here. Discuss further in the FELIXprinters Partners with 3D Printer Resellers in Dubai forum over at 3DPB.com.

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